


From The Operating Table To The Morgue To The Witness Stand

by CarnivalMirai



Series: Medical Examiner Doctor Yuuri Katsuki [6]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alpha Victor Nikiforov, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Medical, Alternate Universe - Police, Anxious Katsuki Yuuri, Autopsies, Couch Sex, Detective Christophe Giacometti, Detective Victor Nikiforov, Forensic Chemist Katsuki Yuuri, Forensic Chemist Phichit Chulanont, Forensic Inaccuracies, Forensic Pathologist Katsuki Yuuri, Forensics, Intersex Omegas, Katsuki Yuuri's Past, Legal Drama, Lots of Inaccuracies, M/M, Medical Examiner Katsuki Yuuri, Medical Inaccuracies, Omega Katsuki Yuuri, Omega Verse, Sex, Vaginal Sex, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-18
Updated: 2020-02-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:20:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22776307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CarnivalMirai/pseuds/CarnivalMirai
Summary: Yuuri gets called to the scene of a young woman who was seemingly pushed down the stairs. As he works to find out just how she ended up at the bottom of the stairs, he finds himself having to face old battles along the way-- one of those being sat on the witness stand. Only this time, as a medical professional, and not a defendant.
Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov
Series: Medical Examiner Doctor Yuuri Katsuki [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1600891
Comments: 51
Kudos: 311





	From The Operating Table To The Morgue To The Witness Stand

**Author's Note:**

> HOWDY Y'ALL WELCOME BACK TO MEDYK!  
> This part is inspired by a comment from HyukjaesJellybeans, who suggested that we step out of the morgue and into the courtroom. It was such a great idea and it immediately sparked inspiration-- I couldn't not write it immediately!! So thank you for that!  
> In this part, we find out a little more about Yuuri's time as a cardiac surgeon, as well as the effects of that.  
> SO AWAY WE GO!

“He insists that she fell.” Victor sighed heavily as Yuuri knelt over the body of a young woman at the bottom of the staircase. 

“And what do you think happened?” Yuuri asked, snapping on a pair of latex gloves. 

“He says that they argued. And five minutes later she’s at the bottom of the stairs. You can probably put two and two together.” Mumbled Victor as Yuuri felt around the body. “I’m about one hundred percent certain she was pushed.” 

“Don’t jump to conclusions.” Yuuri said. “I can’t tell just from this if she slipped or if she was pushed. Camera.” Yuuri held out his hand and Phichit handed him the camera. 

“What, you don’t think he pushed her?” Victor asked as Yuuri snapped away, taking pictures of the body position and the surroundings, as well as the bruising. You don’t think it’s suspicious?” Questioned Victor, brows knitted together. 

“I never said that.” Yuuri mumbled. “I said don’t jump to conclusions, Detective. Or you might find you’re looking at this case from the wrong perspective. Where is he now?” Asked Yuuri standing back up as he passed Phichit the camera. 

“Front porch, talking to Chris.” Without another word, Yuuri picked up his briefcase and went out to join Christophe with their victim’s husband. 

“So what did--” 

“Zachary.” Yuuri said as he approached Christophe. “Medical Examiner Doctor Yuuri Katsuki.” Yuuri introduced with what Christophe thought was an eerily friendly smile. “I’m the one in charge of your wife’s body and when it can be released so if I may, I’d like to ask you some questions.” It seemed to be a kindly asked question, but Christophe knew that meant Yuuri was going to ask and he was going to get the answers he needed. 

“Doctor Katsuki…” Christophe warned but Yuuri ignored him completely.

“I’ve already spoken to a couple of detectives about it.” Zachary murmured through sniffles and tears. 

“I’m not asking as a detective.” Yuuri quipped. “I’m asking as a medical professional.” He corrected. “So, you say she fell down the stairs?” Zachary nodded. “Tell me exactly what happened.” Yuuri had a bit of an intimidating look to him Christophe observed, as he waited for Zachary to speak. 

“W-we were arguing.” Zachary sighed. “Not even about anything big, it was all just little things that added up. She had just picked up her stuff to head out to the gym, like he did every morning. We’ve been having money issues. Err… late payments on the car, as well as paying for things like the phone bills and utility bills.” Zachary murmured - he looked ashamed as his gaze dropped to the floor, hands fumbling as he sucked in a breath. “I told her she might not be able to keep up the lifestyle she has… you know, paying or a gym membership, replacing sportswear, they were all luxuries we couldn’t afford.” To be quite frank, Yuuri wasn’t interested in his life story at the moment - he was only interested in what happened that morning. But regardless, Yuuri listened. Anything he said could be a piece of the puzzle, after all.

“We were arguing, even as we went down the stairs and she lost her footing and just… slipped. She tumbled down the steps and I ran down to see if she was okay but she wasn’t breathing and--” Zachary took a deep breath, dabbing away his tears. 

“Thank you, Zachary.” Yuuri mumbled. “I’m sorry for your loss.” With that, Yuuri went back into the house and back over to the body. “I’ll need to do a proper autopsy. Look at the bones and the way they’re broken, wait for any bruising to occur.” Yuuri sighed heavily. “Get the body to the morgue. Autopsy in two hours.” Yuuri called before walking off, Victor and Phichit following suit. 

“What did he say?” Asked Victor. “Zachary.” 

“Probably not much more than he told Christophe.” Yuuri responded as he walked back out of the house and down the driveway. 

“Do you think he pushed her then? After talking to him?” Yuuri let out an annoyed huff. 

“My job is to turn to the body for clues, Detective. To look with a non-judgemental, unbiased eye. If I already knew for certain she was pushed, I wouldn’t have ordered for her to be taken to the morgue.” Yuuri scowled. “I suggest you look at this with a more objective perspective too. Maybe it does all look suspicious. Maybe it  _ is.  _ But nothing is conclusive until I’ve cut this body open and determined how exactly she fell.” Yuuri opened his car door, slotting his briefcase down in the foot well of the passenger seat. 

“Put it this way,” Yuuri began as he closed the door, leaning against his car, “I wouldn’t have been called if you were so sure that she was pushed. If you had definitive proof right here, right now that she didn’t really just slip and fall, there would be no reason for the body to be on the way to the morgue and no reason for me to have been here in the first place.” Reminded Yuuri. “Let me know if you find anything that isn’t a biased opinion.” Sighed Yuuri, and with that, he climbed into his car and it was at that moment when Victor realised that maybe, he'd just pissed Yuuri off.

———————————————————————

“What’s with the long fa--”

“Don’t ask.” Phichit quickly warned, cutting off Doctor King’s question. Phichit waited until Yuuri had gone into his office to put his stuff away before he spoke again.  _ “Someone  _ has rattled his cage today,” Phichit said quietly, “so I suggest we both keep quiet and get to work.” Doctor King stiffly nodded as Yuuri returned to the morgue, now in a set of scrubs.

The body had arrived at the morgue just before Yuuri and Phichit had, and was now waiting for them. With a frown on his face, Yuuri snapped on a pair of latex gloves and turned on the camera. 

“This is Medical Examiner Doctor Yuuri Katsuki, accompanied by Forensic Anthropologist Doctor Christopher King and Forensic Chemist Doctor Phichit Chulanont about to start autopsy on Maria Fitzgerald, identification number five one five two. Time check ten fifty five a.m, June thirtieth twenty twenty. Now, let’s see what we have.” Yuuri sighed heavily as he picked up a torch in one hand and a magnifying glass in the other. 

“There’s significant bruising on the chest and clavicle.” Doctor King said. “The solar plexus seems to be fractured, that will be further investigated later. “There is no signs of concussion to the head, however, there is a bruise on the left side of the cranium, indicating that the victim did hit her head.” Carefully, Yuuri turned the body over. 

“Only light bruising on the back, but her sides and hips have sustained significant trauma. There is a particularly prominent bruise on the waist, most likely the point of impact with the bottom of the bannister.” Yuuri turned the body back over. “There are no other signs of trauma.” With a sigh, he picked up the scalpel and maye an incision from both shoulders and down to open the body. 

“Solar plexus confirmed to be fractured. Multiple ribs also bruised and fractured, but only one is broken. The lung is punctured, she seems to have suffered from internal bleeding. So far, there are no signs of foul play.” Yuuri’s brow creased as Doctor King continued to look around at the bones. 

All three of them took two hours to finish the autopsy, but still, the results were inconclusive. With a frustrated huff, Yuuri disposed of his scrubs and picked up his things. 

“Where are you going?” Doctor King asked, pulling off his face mask. 

“Back to the crime scene, and you’re coming with me. Phichit, you too.” Without another word, Phichit hurried to follow him. 

“You’re not pushing me down the stairs are you?” Doctor King cringed at the possibility because honestly, he wouldn’t put it past Yuuri to do so.

“Well, if I’m gonna determine if she fell or if she was pushed, I’m gonna need a dummy.” He smirked. “And it looks like you just volunteered.” Yuuri snorted as Doctor King flinched. “I’m kidding. Phichit, get the dummy from the store cupboard. We’re gonna push it down the stairs. CSI might just be finishing up, so we should be okay to use the stairs. If not, we’ll have to head down to the reconstruction team on the other side of town.” Phichit’s brow raised curiously. 

“Never been there before.”

“Me neither. I’ve never needed them.”

***

As it turned out, Yuuri did have to call the crime scene reconstruction team, much to his chagrin. He glowered, tapping his foot impatiently as they measured the stairs at Zachary’s home, measuring the height of every step and the angle of the staircase. 

“We should have it constructed by tomorrow.” The leader told Yuuri. “I’ll let you know when you can come down and use it.” Yuuri huffed. 

“Alright, thanks.” He murmured, and thus, Yuuri’s mood had soured once more. 

They returned to the morgue. Yuuri was determined to find something else, anything else to indicate whether she slipped or if she was pushed. 

“Normally, if someone is pushed down the stairs, there’s an indentation to the cranium and into the occipital lobe. It tends to be V shaped, like the indent of the step, but she doesn’t have any significant head trauma that indicates that.” Yuuri sighed, looking over her head again. “The thing that  _ did  _ kill her is the fractured rib that punctured her lung, but that still doesn’t tell us if she was pushed or not.” He grumbled. At that moment, Victor came down the stairs. 

“Did you find anything?” Victor asked as he stood by the door of the morgue. 

“Cause of death is a puncture to the lung, caused by a broken rib. But at the moment, I can’t tell you if she was pushed or if she actually fell.” Yuuri sighed, pulling off his facemask. “Tomorrow we’re headed down to the reconstruction team on the other side of town to do some experiments. You got anything interesting?” Victor gave a bit of a hesitant nod. 

“Other than his wife had a one night stand a few months back?” Victor said. “Christophe said it slipped out down at the precinct when they were interviewing him.” Yuuri hummed. “He’s looking very suspicious at the moment.” Yuuri tutted. 

“Yeah? Well I wish I could tell you the same about the body.” He gritted. “I won’t know more until we’ve done some experiments tomorrow and compared the findings to her injuries.” 

“Come on, you have to admit, it all looks very conspicuous.” Victor pressed, but Yuuri rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. 

“Do you remember the second time we worked together?” Asked Yuuri. “I brought you and Christophe to the morgue to watch me do the autopsy.” Yuuri recalled. “Do you remember what I said to Christophe when he asked why I wasn’t just getting on with it? Do you remember what I said the secret to being a good medical examiner was?” Victor blinked in conclusion. That was almost seven months ago - to be honest, the memory was a little hazy. 

“I told you the secret to being a good medical examiner was understanding things about the victim’s life. And why the victim’s life was cut short, and that it wasn’t just about finding out how she died.” Yuuri reminded. “I told you that the body holds all the clues, and if you are patient enough to look for them, the body will tell you all you need to know. That’s still true.” Yuuri said. “Apart from this time, the clues are not so clear. But that does not mean I should disregard the body to find out how she was killed.” 

“You’re speaking in code again.” Victor grimaced, to which Yuuri scoffed. 

“I’m saying that the evidence on the body so far is inconclusive. But, it’s there. The answers are there, lying on my table. I just need the right tools to crack them open.” Yuuri explained.  _ “If  _ she was pushed, I will find out. If she slipped, I will find out. Whatever it is, whatever this body has to tell me, I will find out. It is  _ my  _ job to find out how she died, not yours. Your job is to filter through evidence  _ with an objective eye  _ to determine whether there is a case to build, and if there  _ is,  _ then against  _ who.”  _ Yuuri’s tone was agitated, and Victor knew better than to press. 

“So… did you find anything at all?” He asked. 

“I can tell you what I didn’t find?” Offered Yuuri. “When someone is pushed down the stairs during an argument, the chances are, they’re facing the assailant.” He began. “That means that when they are pushed, they will almost always hit the back of their head. And there will almost always be trauma to the occipital lobe.” Victor opened his mouth to speak, but Yuuri held up his finger to cut him off. “Now, that’s not to say he didn’t push her while she was facing away from him. Nor does it say that she definitely was not pushed. That’s just saying that if she were pushed, it was not in the usual way that people are pushed. Understood?” Victor nodded. “Good. Tomorrow, I want you to meet me at the reconstruction centre tomorrow.” Victor’s brows raised, partly in surprise and partly in confusion. 

“Huh? Why?” 

“Because I can tell from your face that you didn’t understand what I just said.” Yuuri teased with a smile. “And I want you to see how many different possibilities there are of being pushed or falling down the stairs, so you’ll know to keep an objective eye.” Reasoned Yuuri, that hint of a teasing smile still on his face. 

“Okay. Just let me know when you want me there.” 

———————————————————————

Yuuri was incredibly impatient when he came into the morgue the next morning, eagerly awaiting a phone call from the crime scene reconstruction team. It was already heading towards nine a.m, but he had yet to hear anything from them. After a gruelling hour finally, they phoned. 

“ME Katsuki.” Yuuri said as he answered the phone. 

_ “Doctor Katsuki, we’ve just finished reconstructing the staircase you wanted. It’s free for you to come down and use whenever you want.”  _ Yuuri let out a heavy sigh of relief. 

“Thank you. I’m on my way now.” Yuuri cut the call and stripped his lab coat off, picking up his trench coat and briefcase. “That was the reconstruction team. Let’s go.” Phichit and Doctor King instantly stopped what they wer doing and picked up their things, following Yuuri, who stalked towards the elevator, phone in hand to call Victor. 

_ “Detective Nikiforov speaking!”  _ Victor cooed, which put a soft smile on Yuuri’s face. 

“Crime scene reconstruction just called. Meet me there ASAP.” Yuuri ordered as he got into the lift.

_ “Yes, my love! I’ll be there soon.”  _

“Good. I’ll see you in a bit.” 

_ *** _

They arrive at the crime scene reconstruction laboratory forty five minutes later after manoeuvring around the particularly heavy New York traffic. When they arrived, Victor was already waiting for them. The first thing he noticed, however, was the crash dummy Phichit was dragging along. 

“Umm… who’s the friend?” He asked with an amused grin. 

“Meet Gertrude.” Yuuri introduced as he locked his car door. “We’re going to be pushing her down the stairs.” He had this devious grin on his face that kind of worried Victor, like he was excited to push her down the stairs. Then again, it was part of his work. Of course he’d enjoy it. Victor chuckled fondly. 

“Poor Gertrude.” Victor pitifully said, pushing off his car. “So. What’s the physics behind this?” Victor asked as they entered the building. 

“The physics is if we push her in various different ways, we can see on the body, he points of impact. If we simulate her slipping, we can also see the points of impact. We can look at the video recordings too, when we get back to the lab. Basically, whichever set of marks matches up best to our victim, it’s likely that that’s how she fell and it’ll point us in the right direction.” Yuuri looked around the large room, their reconstructed staircase in the middle. 

Yuuri knelt down on the floor and opened his briefcase, picking up a notebook. 

“Your notebook is Louis Vuitton?” Commented Doctor King. 

“It compliments the briefcase.” Yuuri shrugged, pulling out a pen. “Phichit, could you set up the camera?” Asked Yuuri as he closed his briefcase, locking it shut before standing back up. 

“So… who’s going to push poor Gertrude?” Asked Doctor King.

“Me. I have some pent up frustration to let out.” Murmured Yuuri as he dragged the dummy to the top of the staircase with Victor’s help.

“Naturally.” Huffed Doctor King in amusement. 

“What did you say?” Snapped Yuuri. “I’m sorry-- do you want to be pushed down the stairs in place of Gertrude, then?” Asked Yuuri rhetorically as Doctor King grimaced, not daring to say another word. “Didn’t think so.” Yuuri huffed, turning his attention back to the crash dummy. “Right, I’m gonna push the doll, take note of the points of impact. We’ll be able to see them on the recording, but keep a lookout anyway.” Instructed Yuuri as he stood the doll in place. 

“If she was pushed down the stairs facing him…” Yuuri pushed the doll, watching it tumble down the stairs, “we’d have seen an indentation in the cranium into the occipital lobe. Like poor Gertrude.” Yuuri said. 

“Well, what are the chances of her not landing on her skull?” Asked Victor as Doctor King snapped pictures and marked the dummy with coloured tape before bringing it back to Yuuri. 

“Let’s find out.” Yuuri repositioned the doll to face him, and then pushed it down the stairs again. “Once more, she’s landed on her skull.” So they repeated the experiment again, and again, and again. “You can see out from the many attempts, almost every time, she’s landed on her skull. If she wasn’t pushed backwards, she was pushed forwards. We could guess this from her injuries, but let’s try it.” Doctor King finished snapping pictures, Phichit taking down some notes before they tore away the coloured tape. 

“Let’s see if she was pushed forwards down the stairs.” Yuuri stood the crash dummy at the top of the stairs again, and pushed, watching as she tumbled down the stairs. “Now, if she tripped and fell forwards, her torso would have taken most of the damage, hitting the corner of most of the steps. It could bruise her ribs, potentially break them, but it’s unlikely. It’s even more unlikely that a lung would get punctured from slipping down the stairs, but again, it’s still possible.” Explained Yuuri.

“If she was facing the stairs and slipped, she would have landed back first on the stairs. We would have seen more injuries on the back than the front, which we did not see on the victim. So let’s try that.” Doctor King finished taking pictures of the dummy before bringing it back up to Yuuri, who positioned the doll to face the steps. “She slips…” The doll tumbled down the stairs, back hitting almost every step down. “You can see she did not land on her front at all. So that’s not how our victim fell either.” 

“So if she wasn’t pushed backwards, and she didn't slip, how did she fall?” Asked Victor, a bit of a dumb question to Yuuri, because that’s why they were here. But nonetheless, he answered. 

“She could have been pushed forwards, but that would lead to much, much more significant injuries to the ribs than we saw on our victim. Let’s try it anyway.” 

After hours and hours at the crime scene reconstruction centre, Yuuri still couldn’t say for certain how she fell. 

“We’ll have to go back to the morgue and see if we can find anything else on the injuries.” Yuuri sighed in dissatisfaction. “We have to know if she was pushed or if she fell.”

———————————————————————

Days went by. Evidence was mounting up against Zachary Fitzgerald, but one key piece of information was missing-- cause of death. He had motive, he had opportunity, he had means… everything. But they still did not have a conclusive cause of death. Yuuri still hadn’t gotten back to them yet. But still, the prosecution was close to taking the case to court. Victor let out an exasperated sigh. He knew Yuuri was working tirelessly to find out how she died. They needed that evidence. 

Then, Victor’s phone rang. It was Yuuri. Hastily, he picked it up. 

“Hey, did you--” 

_ “Inconclusive.”  _ Yuuri said.  _ “The cause of death is the lung puncture, but whether she was pushed or she fell is inconclusive. I can’t find anything to fully verify either of the options.”  _ He explained.  _ “The main wounds that should be present if she was pushed aren’t there. The wounds she has are possibly a result of falling, but they’re injuries we don’t often see when someone falls down the stairs.”  _

“So… now what?” Asked Vitor, rubbing at his temples. 

_ “Whether you decide to take this to court or not is not up to me. But I can’t say for sure you can win without a conclusive answer.”  _ Yuuri said. 

“Alright, thank you. I’ll have to talk to the prosecution about it, but I’ll get back to you.” 

_ “Okay. I love you.”  _

“I love you, too.” 

***

“I still think we could win. He could at least get something for voluntary manslaughter.” Christophe said as the detectives and the prosecution sat around the table. “I mean, he had a motive. They’d been arguing a lot recently, he even said so himself. Plus, they were having financial difficulties, but she wouldn’t cut her spending.” He added. “They were home alone, at the top of the stairs, and then suddenly, she’s dead at the bottom of the stairs. Tell me that’s not suspicious.” 

“It  _ is  _ suspicious,” Victor agreed, “but it’s whether we can prove beyond reasonable doubt that she was pushed.” A heavy huff fell from his lips as he dropped his head onto his fists, closing his eyes for a moment. The room fell silent as everyone was deep in thought, trying to figure out what to do with this case. There was so much tension Victor felt like he could cut it with a pair of scissors. 

“We’re still missing a key piece of evidence. We aren’t proving anything without a conclusive cause of death.” Their prosecuting lawyer, Mila, added. “The defence has it much easier. All they have to do is make one person unsure. They only have to make one person think that she could have slipped.But we have to convince twelve people that she was definitely pushed. We might have a hard time with that without a conclusive report. Though, we can call the medical examiner in as an expert witness.” Victor’s head shot up. 

“What, Doctor Katsuki?” Mila nodded. 

“Sometimes, having an expert witness there can easily persuade a jury to go along with what they say, even if Doctor Katsuki says the evidence is inconclusive, the fact that we put him up there might be enough to sway them, knowing he’s a prosecution witness.” Victor let out a heavy sigh. Yuuri was not going to like that at all. There was nothing Yuuri hated more than being questioned, than being doubted, and that’s what lawyers were best at-- questioning and doubting. Christophe could see that Victor was uncomfortable. 

“You’d better warm him up to the idea before the prosecution asks for him.” Christophe advised as a comforting hand laid on Victor’s shoulder. 

“He can say no though, can’t he? What if he refuses?” Asked Victor, brows creased together with worry. 

“He can refuse, but as a medical professional, and the main medical examiner in what could be a murder trial, it doesn’t look great.” Mila informed, much to Victor’s annoyance. “Are you close?” Victor nodded stiffly. “You’d better see if you can persuade him to talk then.” Victor instantly read through her insinuation for Yuuri to strategically choose his words. 

“What? No, I won’t. If you want to persuade him to say what you want him to say, you’re going to have to do it yourself.” Victor stood up, angered at the very suggestion. “And good luck doing that.” Victor stormed out of the conference room and went back to his office, slamming the door shut. 

He sat down at his desk, sucking in a deep, slow breath to calm himself down. Shaking hands picked up his phone to call Yuuri. 

_ “Hey, have you got something?”  _ Yuuri’s sweet voice cooed, and already, it lightened Victor’s mood. 

“No, but I do have some bad news for you.” 

_ “Uh-oh.”  _ Yuuri grimaced. 

“The prosecution wants you to take the stand.” Victor murmured. 

_ “What? Why? They never make me do that. Are you phoning to convince me to--”  _

“No, I’m not.” Victor reassured. “I’m phoning to warn you. Mila wants you to take the stand and choose your words strategically when you talk about the body.” If he could see Yuuri now, he’d see his brows furrowed with anger, that little dimple in his brow twitching, ears red with annoyance. 

_ “So basically she wants me to lie.”  _ Yuuri scoffed.  _ “Absolutely no way. Most medical examiners you can pay them to say the right things but not me. If she wants me to ‘strategically choose my words’ to favour her case instead of telling it how it is, clearly, she doesn’t have a very strong case. Besides, you know I hate it when people try to question my credibility.”  _ Yuuri hissed through gritted teeth.  _ “God, I might just explode in that courtroom.”  _

“Please don't.” Victor laughed softly. “Just remember, it’s horrible for everyone who takes that stand. Don’t let yourself be intimidated by people finding loopholes in the legal system.” Advised Victor lightheartedly, but Yuuri was still seething on the other end. “She’s insistent that she wants you up there. Says your presence might sway the jury.” The line was silent, uncomfortably silent, as Victor held his breath in anticipation, waiting for Yuuri to speak. 

_ “Alright. I’ll take the stand. But tell her it’s a gamble for her. She’s just going to have to hope I say the right things.”  _ Victor let out an amused huff, smiling softly. 

“Say what you truly believe in, Yuuri. Don’t let yourself get manipulated by a bunch of entitled lawyers.” Victor heard a sigh of irritation on the other end of the line.

_ “Thanks for the heads up.”  _ Yuuri mumbled, his day now ruined. 

“I’ll make it up to you after the trial. But I’ll have to let you know when I find out when it is.” Victor grumbled. “Hopefully it won’t be a long trial though, they get so tiring.” 

_ “You can make it up to me then. But for now, come over tonight. At least I’ll have something to look forward to.”  _ Chuckled Yuuri. 

“See you at seven thirty?” 

_ “See you then. I guess now I just wait for a dreaded phone call?”  _ Victor hummed affirmatively as Yuui huffed.  _ “Great. Anway, I’ll let you go for now. I love you.”  _

“I love you, too.” 

*** 

Yuuri got another phone call not even ten minutes later. Rolling his eyes, Yuuri picked it up. 

“ME Doctor Katsuki.” He murmured under his breath. 

_ “Hi Doctor Katsuki, this is Mila Babicheva, the prosecu—“  _

“Victor already told me.” Yuuri cut her off rather rudely, but in his defence, there was nothing he hated more than the way a lawyer worked. 

_ “Oh. Did he tell you what—“  _

“Yes, he also told me about how you hinted that I should choose my words carefully.” Yuuri hissed between gritted teeth. “So let’s get it straight. I’ll take the stand, and I’ll tell it as it is. Take it or leave it, I’m not going to manipulate words to favour your case.” 

_ “But Doctor Katsuki—“  _

“I said take it or leave it.” There was silence on the other end of the line, and then a defeated sigh. 

_ “Okay. I’ll forward details soon.”  _ Yuuri didn’t even say goodbye, he just cut the call. 

“Who was that?” Phichit asked when Yuuri returned to the morgue. 

“The prosecuting lawyer.” Yuuri huffed in dismay. “I guess they’ve decided to take this case to court, even without conclusive evidence. Guess who’s taking the stand.” Yuuri cringed, shoving his phone back into the pocket of his lab coat. 

“Oh, rough.” Phichit said just as Doctor King came in. 

“What’s this about?” He asked, perching against the table opposite Yuuri and Phichit. 

“The prosecution has called me to take the stand.” Yuuri sighed, bemused as he folded his arms across his chest. “To testify to the cause of death.” 

“What, you mean the cause of death that we can’t quite determine if it was an accident or deliberate?” Doctor King’s brows raised in confusion. 

“Mhm.” Yuuri nodded. “And you know what lawyers are like - brutal.” He scowled, nose scrunching in disapproval. 

“More brutal than you?” Joked Doctor King, which earned him a glare from Yuuri. 

“I’m already in a bad mood, don’t rattle my cage.” He hissed through gritted teeth, much to Doctor King’s amusement. 

“Alright alright, I’ll leave you to stew.” 

———————————————————————

Another dreaded phone call from the prosecution team came in just two weeks later with a trial date that made Yuuri just feel sick to his stomach. 

“Okay. Twentieth of July, I got it.” Yuuri mumbled down the phone. “I’ll see you then.” He cut the call promptly, shoving his phone back into his pocket. 

“Trial date?” Asked Phichit, to which Yuuri grimly nodded. 

***

As the trial date drew nearer and nearer, Yuuri grew more and more nervous. In fact,  _ nervous  _ was an understatement. Anxiety bubbled in the pit of his stomach and everyone around him could literally smell how anxious he was. It was the evening before the trial was set to start. Yuuri was supposed to meet Victor at his home after work but… he couldn’t get the medical report-- or the trial-- out of his head. 

“Yuuri?” Doctor King called as Yuuri sat at his desk, rereading the report again and again. Yuuri looked up. “Are you okay?” Yuuri sucked in a deep, slow breath.

“You could never be prepared to sit up there.” Yuuri murmured. “To sit up there and have… everything about your life dissected. To have everything about your family member’s lives dissected. To have your whole career questioned and every decision you’ve made challenged.” He sighed heavily, closing the report. “They dig up everything there is to know about you. As soon as they find anything even… slightly out of order they use it against you. They question your credibility and… mine as a medical professional does not look good in their eyes.” 

“Go home, Yuuri.” Doctor King sighed. “Get some rest.” Yuuri didn’t even question him. He just got up, picked up his things-- almost dropping his report-- and left.

When Yuuri made it home later that evening, Victor was sitting on his doorstep, waiting. A fond smile crossed Yuuri’s face as he parked his car and got out, heels clicking on the concrete as he stalked up the path to his home. 

“Hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long.” He cooed as Victor stood up to pull Yuuri in by his waist, arm wrapping around his torso. 

“Nonsense,” Victor huffed, “there’s no such thing as waiting too long when it comes to you.” He pressed a kiss to Yuuri’s lips. 

“Dork.” Yuuri pulled away and unlocked the front door to let Victor in. As soon as Yuuri closed the door, Victor had him pressed up against it, lips attacking Yuuri’s before he could even drop his briefcase and take off his coat. “Mmh— eager, aren’t you?” Yuuri huffed with a smile on his lips. 

“It’s been a week since I got to touch you like this…” Victor whispered against his lips, arms pulling him closer. 

“Mmh— can we… ahh… s-sofa—  _ mmgh!”  _ Yuuri gasped against Victor’s lips as Victor pulled away to press kisses down his jaw. “V-Vitya— ahh!” Yuuri let out a shriek as Victor picked him up and brought him into the front room, tossing him down onto the sofa. 

“You always wear these tight dresses…” Victor began, kissing his neck, “the ones that show off all your curves and shape your ass and god…” Victor reached for the zip on the front of his dress with his teeth, pulling it down. “It gets me going…” Yuuri let out a shaky moan as Victor pulled the dress away, Yuuri kicking off his heels at the same time. 

“It does?” Yuuri teased as Victor pressed kisses onto the swell of his chest, one hand reaching to cup his breast, covered with a lace bralette. 

“You know it does…” Victor murmured, fingering the lace of Yuuri’s bralette. “And you always wear the prettiest underwear… almost as if you’re deliberately enticing me.” Yuuri let out an amused huff, one hand dropping to Victor’s head, fingers threading through his hair as Victor peppered his chest in kisses. Yuuri let out a breathy laugh at that, followed by a soft mewl as Victor’s lips trailed down his body. 

Victor pulled back, rearranging them so he could sit with his back leaned against the sofa, Yuuri sat on top of him, thighs spread across his lap. Yuuri rose onto his knees to tower over Victor, smiling down at him before catching his lips in a kiss. Victor’s hands roamed up his back as he moaned into the kiss, fingertips fumbling with lace of his bralette. He began to tug the lace up, Yuuri pulling back to allow Victor to pull the garment off his body. 

“You’re so pretty…” Victor sighed softly as Yuuri’s hands pushed Victor’s jacket off his body before moving to undo the buttons on his shirt. 

“Tell me again.” Yuuri whispered, hands dragging down Victor’s toned chest and to the metal buckle on his belt. 

“You're the most beautiful person I’ve ever met.” Victor cooed fondly. “Handsome and pretty and gorgeous…” Yuuri grinned as he undid Victor’s pants, cock already half hard as his hand slid into the waistband of his briefs to grasp his cock.

“I am?” Crooned Yuuri as he delt Victor a long, hard stroke. 

_ “Mmh--!”  _ Victor bit back a moan as his cock instantly began to get harder, head tossed back as Yuuri smirked. “You are… ahh… and you’re all mine…” Yuuri’s hand brought him to full hardness, cunt leaking, a wet patch already staining the lace fabric. With a sudden burst of strength, Victor slipped them over, pushing Yuuri down onto the sofa. Grasped one of Yuuri’s legs, bringing it over his shoulder as he straddled the other. 

“This is new.” Yuuri coyly smiled, referring to their positioning as Victor got a perfect view of his satin covered pussy, one hand coming forwards to pull the fabric of the panties out of the way. Yuuri let out a soft, breathy gasp at the breeze that brushed the wet lips of his pussy as Victor pushed the fabric away. 

“So I can get the perfect view.” Victor chuckled as two fingers slid into Yuuri’s wet cunt. 

“Ahh… flatterer…” Yuuri chuckled softly, head tossing back onto a pillow on the sofa as Victor fingered him open. His hips rolled, riding back against Victor’s fingers, moaning loudly at the way they stretched and filled him. “Vitya…” He gasped. “Come on, get on with it…” 

“Needy thing.” Victor laughed as he withdrew his fingers and lined up the tip of his cock. 

“Looks like detective work isn’t the only thing you’re slow at.” Yuuri playfully pouted, pulling a soft growl from Victor as he plunged in all the way with one firm thrust. “Ah!” Victor’s cock split him open, punching a soft mewl from Yuuri’s lungs as his cunt leaked, fluttering around Victor’s thickness.

“What can I say, I have to take my time to admire my gorgeous man.” Victor chided, voice dripping with seduction as his eyes narrowed, a smirk covering his face as he began to grind his hips. 

“Oh…” Yuuri preened, eyes fluttering shut as Victor withdrew until just the tip was enveloped by his warmth. His skin shined with sweat, hair threatening to break free from the extra strength hair gel as Victor fucked into him again. “Nngh!” His glasses were pushed askew on his face as his body lurched up the sofa, his fingers gripping the pillows as Victor picked up the pace. 

Victor leaned down, pushing Yuuri’s leg against his chest to kiss him. Yuuri’s arms wrapped around his body, nails digging into his back as Victor’s hips slammed into him. Victor moaned at the feel of Yuuri’s nails marking his skin as he kissed Yuuri’s neck, nibbling softly to leave his mark on his lover’s neck. 

“A-ahh… Vitya…” Yuuri’s nails clawed down Victor’s back as his hips jerked, each thrust brushing his sweet spot, his stomach clamping down around Victor’s cock. 

“Nghh… you’re so tight… so wet for me…” Victor’s breath ghosted over Yuuri’s neck, sending shivers down his spine as the velvety warmth massaged his cock. “So beautiful too… I love you so much…” Yuuri preened under Victor’s praise, back arching as his hips bucked up to meet Victor’s thrusts, hips rolling with every pleasured cry.

Everything about Yuuri was just… ethereal. Victor had never met anyone as strong headed, yet delicate as Yuuri. In fact, he was still trying to figure out the paradox that was Yuuri Katsuki, even after dating for over six months. There was always something new about Yuuri that surprised Victor so much. 

“V-Vitya… ahh… fuck… c-close…” Yuuri gasped as each pound of Victor’s hips knocked his sweet spot, setting off fireworks under his skin. “M-mhh…” Yuuri’s eyes fluttered shut, blissful pleasure burning under his skin as his nails dug into Victor’s back. The grip of Victor’s hands on his hip was bruising, and Yuuri was almost certain there’d be marks in the morning.

“Darling… Oh… Yuuri… come for me? I’m c-close…” Victor’s breath quickened as his thrusts became erratic, cock twitching as Yuuri’s cunt convulsed around him. Yuuri’s chest heaved with every breath, chest puffing out as he buried his face in Victor’s neck. The air between them was sweaty, muggy, uncomfortable, but  _ god,  _ Yuuri wouldn’t trade it for the world. 

_ “Ungh--!  _ Ah- ah- ah- V-Vitya--!” Each drive of Victor’s hips punched faint, raspy moans from Yuuri’s lungs, his sweet spot bullied and bruised by Victor’s cock. It only took three more thrusts for Yuuri to come with a loud, pleasured shriek of  _ “Victor-- fuck!”.  _ He threw his head back, nails dragging and scratching marks into Vitor’s back as his hips stuttered, cunt fluttering as he squirted around Victor’s cock.

“Yuuri--!” The way Yuuri’s pussy pulsed around him, suddenly tightening around him was enough to push Victor over the edge, dick violently twitching as he came. Yuuri whimpered as a wet heat began to fill him, spreading across his lower abdomen. His thighs trembled, leg slipping out of Victor’s grasp and off his shoulder as he went completely boneless against the sofa. Victor panted against his neck, pressing sweet kisses into his sweaty skin as he pulled out, laying himself down beside Yuuri and pulling him in.

Yuuri shivered beside him, snuggling up close to Victor as a sudden wave of uneasiness overcame him. He sniffled a little, gripping tight on Victor’s body as he bit his lip. Immediately, Victor could smell his distress as the omega clung to him. “Yuuri? Are you alright?” it was like a dam broke as Victor asked, tears streaming down Yuuri’s eyes as he began to sob into Victor’s shoulder.

***

_ “And you were aware of the condition of your hands?” Yuuri’s hands trembled with nerves as he sat in the stand, heart throbbing in his chest. _

__

_ “Yes. I was.” His voice came out as a mere squeak, a soft croak as he answered with a shaky breath. “But--”  _

_ “And you still thought you were fit to take on the surgery, given the condition of your hands?”  _

_ “Yes. My physician had advised that I should be cautious, that it was possible I could develop parestesia but for now I would still be okay to continue treating patients, and that was at my discretion.” Yuuri had never felt so… small, so powerless before as he sat at the top of the courtroom, too ashamed to even look up.  _

_ “So even given the nature of your condition, you still agreed to take on the surgery?”  _

_ “I was the only cardiac surgeon available at the time and I didn’t know--”  _

_ “It’s a yes or no answer, Mister Katsuki.” Yuuri swallowed nervously. _

_ “Yes.”  _

_ “And therefore, you were negligent-- grossly negligent towards your patient.” Yuuri inhaled a long, slow breath, throat dry and voice hoarse.  _

_ “Yes.”  _

_ “No further questions, Your Honour.” _

_ *** _

“I killed someone.” Victor had never seen Yuuri so vulnerable until today. His voice was raspy, only a soft whisper as he buried his face in Victor’s chest. Victor’s breath hitched with surprise, but he continued to hold Yuuri close, hands running up and down Yuuri’s back. Yuuri sucked in a trembling breath, swallowing a lump in his throat as he felt Victor’s heart beating against his ear. “I killed someone and they’re going to ask me about it and they’re going to question my credibility again and I--” 

“Yuuri.” Victor’s voice, soft yet firm, interrupted him. “Slow down, take a breath, okay?” Yuuri inhaled, eyes fluttering shut, blinking away tears as he inhaled a soft, shuddering breath. “Do you want to tell me about it?” Yuuri swallowed a lump in his throat. 

“We… we were opening an artery.” He began quietly. “All I had to do was clamp the artery and cut it open and get the tube in.” Victor felt Yuuri’s hands dig into the meat of his back as Victor’s fingertips traced the bumps of his spine. “B-but my hand… i-it started playing up and I couldn’t stop it and the scalpel-- i-it slipped from my hand--” Yuuri’s breaths quickened as he bit his lip, trying to fight back more tears as harsh, shuddering breaths escaped his lips. “I killed him, Vitya…” 

“Hey, listen to me.” Victor sat up properly, pulling Yuuri into his lap, draping his discarded shirt over Yuuri’s naked body, surrounding him in his comforting scent. “It wasn’t your fault.” Victor reassured, his thumb brushing away Yuuri’s tears. 

“It was.” Yuuri squeaked as he sniffled, tears streaking his face, now red and blotchy and swollen. “I knew I shouldn’t have led that surgery because of my hands but I still did and it cost someone their life.” Yuuri cuddled his face into Victor’s neck as Victor held onto him, hushing softly. “My doctor warned me that the nerves in my hands might have some problems.” Yuuri whimpered. “B-but weeks later they were still feeling fine so I took the surgery and-- I shouldn’t have taken it. I should have known better.” 

“Yuuri, it’s--”

“It was the first time I lost feeling in my hands.” Yuuri murmured. “I thought they were going to be okay, that they wouldn’t affect me but they did and-- I killed someone on my table.” Yuuri was distraught in Victor’s laps, fat tears rolling down his face, landing on Victor’s shirt. “They sued me for gross negligence of a patient. I lost the case, as well as my job, as well as my license to practice medicine on live patients.” 

Victor didn’t know what to say. All he could do was sit there and comfort the cryin omega, who, after almost seven months, was opening up to him. About his past, about his struggles, about his life. All Victor could do was listen. He didn’t have to say anything, Yuuri knew that. Yuuri just needed to be held and comforted. 

“There is nothing worse than being sat up on that stand, being questioned not just about the case, but about your life. About your family member’s lives. And when I take that stand tomorrow I can guarantee you, there'll be more questions about how I killed someone than about the body lying in the morgue.” Victor hushed soothingly in Yuuri’s ear as Victor nosed at his forehead, his hands running comfortingly up and down Yuuri’s sides. 

“I’m scared.” Yuuri whimpered weakly after a few moments of silence. “I don’t know if I can handle it.” 

“You’re safe with me, you know that?” Yuuri tiredly nodded. “And… if you want to talk about this some more, I’ll listen.” Yuuri nodded again. “Shall we get you showered and to bed, then?” Once more, Yuuri nodded. So Victor’s arm wrapped around Yuuri’s body, the other under his legs and he scooped Yuuri up. “Let’s get you upstairs, okay?” 

———————————————————————

Yuuri woke up the next morning curled up in Victor’s arms, body wracked with nerves as a shuddery sigh fell from his lips. Lips were gently peppering kisses on his forehead, and Yuuri couldn’t help the breathy chuckle that fell from his lips as Victor’s lips made his way down his face. 

“Vitya…” He chuckled tiredly as Victor’s lips made his way down his cheeks and jaw. 

“Good morning.” He sighed with a soft smile. 

“M-mhh… enough… need to get ready…” Murmured Yuuri as Victor kissed his chest before they sat up. “

“Are you feeling okay?” Asked Victor as he swept some hair behind Yuuri’s ear. 

“Nervous.” Mumbled Yuuri with an exasperated sigh. 

“I’ll be right there in the gallery, okay?” Yuuri stiffly nodded. “It’ll be alright.” Victor pressed a kiss between Yuuri’s furrowed brows, smoothing out the crease. “Let’s get changed. We have to be there in an hour.” Yuuri anxiously huffed. He had to put on his  _ Doctor  _ front. He had to seem confident in his findings, and believe in himself when everyone in the room would doubt him. He had no room to stutter.

***

As soon as they got to the court house, Yuuri was no longer just  _ Yuuri Katsuki.  _ He was an expert witness, a medical professional-- Medical Examiner Doctor Yuuri Katsuki. 

“I’ll see you after, okay?” Victor promised, squeezing Yuuri’s hands, thumbs rubbing over his knuckles to help calm his nerves. “And I’ll treat you to dinner. We’ll have a nice, quiet night in, just for you to relax.” Yuuri nodded, long cow lashes fluttering as he sucked in a breath, releasing it slowly. 

“See you in a bit.” Victor gave Yuuri another good luck kiss before they parted ways. Yuuri followed the prosecution team into the courthouse, dread filling his stomach. 

“I’ve handed a copy of your report to the clerk to give to the judge, as well as the defence so they can read it themselves.” Mila said as he led Yuuri into the court house. “The defence is going to pick apart everything about you.  _ Everything.”  _ Yuuri bit his lip, teeth nibbling restlessly into his plump bottom lip. “That includes your last job, your suspension, your family, everything is under fire.” 

“I know.” Mumbled Yuuri. 

“You’ll be third to take the stand. We’re relying on you to get our case—“ 

“I said I’ll tell it how it is and that’s it.” Hissed Yuuri. “I have no interest in helping your debate. I’m just here to state the facts.” He murmured. “However the jury takes that, I don’t care. I’m not interested in your agenda.” Mila flinched a little at Yuuri’s sharp tone, but she dismissed it as she sat Yuuri down in a room outside the courtroom. 

“The usher will come in from that door there,” Mila gestured to the side door that led to the courtroom, “and she’ll lead you to the stand where you’ll take oath.” 

“I know how it works.” 

***

Yuuri’s legs felt heavier than lead as Yuuri walked into that courtroom, following the usher to the witness stand. 

“Hand over your chest.” Yuuri sighed, right hand resting over his chest. “Do you solemnly swear that you will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, under pains and penalties of perjury” 

“I do.” The usher nodded, gesturing for Yuuri to sit down. The first person Yuuri saw when he sat down was Victor, gazing encouragingly at him with those enticing, bright eyes. 

“Prosecution, you may start.” Mika stood up. 

“Doctor Katsuki,” Yuuri looked up, biting his lip. “You completed the autopsy of and are in charge of the body of Maria Fitzgerald, is that correct?” Yuuri nodded. 

“That’s correct.” 

“And… according to your report, the cause of death was a puncture to the lung?” Yuuri nodded again. 

“Yes, but we—“ 

“In your expert opinion, is it likely to happen when someone is pushed, or when they slip down the stairs?” Mila asked. Yuuri absolutely hated the way lawyers twisted questions and information. 

“Both.” Yuuri said. “It can happen when you are pushed or if you fall. It all depends on the trajectory and the angle of the fall.” 

“But is it more likely to happen when you are pushed or when you slip and fall?” Yuuri’s brow furrowed in annoyance. 

_ “Statistically,  _ more likely when you are pushed.” He murmured, hands clenched into fists on his lap as he took a breath. 

“Explain the victim’s injuries to the jury, Doctor Katsuki.” 

“Well, the victim sustained significant bruising on her chest. She had seven fractured ribs and one that was broken, that punctured her lung.” Yuuri explained. “Her back, however, sustained very few injuries.” 

“Would you, in your expert opinion, say that the injuries sustained are more associated with being pushed or slipping? Is it possible she was pushed?” Mila asked, arms folded across her chest. 

“It is possible she was pushed, yes.” Mila smiled. 

“No further questions, Your Honour.” She sat back down. 

“So, Yuuri Katsuki.” The nameless defence barrister began as he stood up, file in his hand. Yuuri nodded. “According to your files, you were a cardiac surgeon before a medical examiner, is that correct?” 

“Yes.” Yuuri could feel it, the questions about how his last career ended were coming.

“Why did you become a medical examiner?” Oh, right off with the brutal questions. 

“I— a patient of mine d-died in the operating table… due to my carelessness.” That feeling of shame returned. The same shame he’d felt years ago when he was sat in the very same position, handling a lawsuit of his own. The one where he was the one on trial for gross negligence. Yuuri remembered how he couldn’t even look up. He couldn’t bear to look up at the family of the man he’d killed. This was the same feeling. Yuuri’s heart raced in his chest, hands trembling as they sat, clenched in fists on the bench. 

“Tell the jury - what were the consequences of your negligence?” God, three questions in and Yuuri already felt so uncomfortable. 

“Objection— relevance.” Protested Mila. 

“Overruled. Doctor Katsuki, please answer.” Yuuri’s body felt heavy as he tried to calm himself down. They were already questioning his competence, dredging up one of the most traumatic events of his life. 

It had taken Yuuri so long to come to terms with the fact that accidents do happen, and knowing that details about that were going to come up today had Yuuri’s stomach twisting and churning. But Yuuri had to remind himself that this time, he was sat up here as an expert, as a medical professional, and not as a defendant. 

Yuuri’s eyes fluttered shut as he took a breath, giving himself a moment to bring his thoughts together before he answered.  _ Doctor face, Yuuri, doctor face. A medical professional, not a coward.  _

“My license to practice medicine was revoked and I was suspended.” Guilty, guilty,  _ guilty.  _ Yuuri almost wanted to vomit. That man was relying on him to open up his artery. Save his heart like he had so many others. Yuuri should have listened, he should have been more cautious, he should have judged more carefully. Yuuri should have known his hands were in no condition to operate. Yuuri’s head began to spin with the memories, chest heaving as— 

“Objection-- relevance.” 

“Credibility, Your Honour.” The barrister said. “It’s important for the jury to understand the importance of Doctor Katsuki’s work, both past and present, and therefore, it’s important to highlight fatal mistakes that Doctor Katsuki has made in the past.” He argued.

“Overruled. Doctor Katsuki?” 

“Y-yes?” 

“Please repeat the question.” Yuuri’s focus went back to the defence barrister.  _ Doctor  _ Yuuri Katsuki, not  _ just  _ Yuuri Katsuki. 

“According to the report, the patient you were operating on was having an artery opened up. Explain to the jury what went wrong and how.” Yuuri was shaking, skittish as restlessness, panic, began to rise in his chest.  _ Keep calm, Yuuri, it’s okay.  _ Yuuri bit his lip, trying to catch his breath enough to answer. He dared to look up, and as soon as he caught sight of those bright, blue eyes, he knew that whatever he’d say up here, had already been said to Victor. And honestly? It was opening up to Victor that counted for the most. 

“My assistant at the time had clamped one of the arteries in the heart closed to stop too much blood loss. M-my job was to cut the artery open, and insert a nanotube that would stop the artery from collapsing again.” Yuuri’s eyes closed as a soft breath fell from his lips. “My hands suffer from paresthesia that developed after an accident. I didn’t know until I was opening the artery. The scalpel slipped and cut too far in and… the patient died of extreme blood loss.” Yuuri’s heart was heavy in his chest. It felt like he was on trial all over again, but he had to remember that he was here for the woman lying in the morgue, and not for himself. He bit his lip, waiting with bated breath for the next question.

“A tragic accident indeed.” Sighed the barrister, though Yuuri was almost certain it was sarcastic. “You tend to go through autopsies quite quickly, correct?” 

“Yes, I do. Making sure I find the cause of death promptly helps criminal investigations run more effectively.” Yuuri said, feeling a sudden surge of confidence when he glanced over at Victor. 

“But is it possible that you go through them…  _ too quickly?”  _ Yuuri’s brow creased. 

“Objection— relevance.” Mila protested again. 

“Still establishing credibility, Your Honour.” 

“Overruled. Answer the question.” 

“Not possible. Me and my team work past our hours to make sure we find all the evidence and we examine everything on the body.” Yuuri stated, voice firm and sharp— he could feel himself falling back into the persona of  _ Medical Examiner.  _

“And… is it true you also run all the lab tests? Blood samples, hair samples, things like that?” Yuuri nodded. 

“Yes. Me and my team are in charge of autopsies and lab testings.” Yuuri sighed, trying to maintain his confidence. 

“And that would mean your workload is a lot?” 

“Yes. I often stay overtime to wrap up cases or keep working to ensure I work efficiently.” Yuuri swallowed a lump in his dry throat, hands rubbing together as his hands began to tingle with his nerves. 

“So… why don’t you have more people on your team?” Yuuri shrugged. 

“Objection— relevance.” 

“Sustained. Move on.”

“You said-- or rather, your report said-- that the results on the autopsy of Maria Fitzgerald were inconclusive as to whether she fell or she was pushed down the stairs?” Asked the defence barrister, and Yuuri nodded. 

“Yes, that’s what I said. They’re inconclusive as to whether she fell or if she was pushed.” Yuuri’s gaze flickered between the defence and the public gallery, where Victor was sat with a comforting smile on his face. 

“What injuries would we expect to see if she was pushed?” 

“It depends.” Yuuri said. “If she were pushed backwards, we’d likely see significant bruising to the hips and back from the fall, and we’d likely see a crack in the back of the cranium, in which the skull would be dented into the occipital lobe of the brain.” Explained Yuuri, with an internal mantra of  _ stay focused, stay focused.  _ Yuuri couldn’t afford to let his words get manipulated. If there was anything lawyers were good at, it was manipulating. 

“And… the broken rib, how do you suppose that injury was sustained?” 

“The broken rib would have come from her body hitting, with significant force, against the pillar of the bannister at the bottom of the stairs.” God, Yuuri couldn’t wait for this to be over. 

***

Victor couldn’t stop staring at Yuuri. If he thought Yuuri was beautiful before, then by god, now he thought Yuuri was  _ astonishing _ . This man was just… breathtaking. The confidence Victor saw everyday rarely slipped while he was on the stand, and Victor knew it takes a certain amount of power to sit up there and not crack. 

Yuuri had cried to him the night before, about how scared he was about taking the stand. It was understandable, really, after being criminalised once before, Victor couldn’t imagine this being anything Yuuri ever wanted to do again. He’d never known anyone as brave as Yuuri. 

Yuuri looked so relieved when he was finally able to step down from the stand and leave the courtroom. A surge of pride ran through Victor’s body as he watched Yuuri leave through the side door. Victor would have to treat him later tonight. 

“Court adjourned until ten a.m tomorrow.” With the bang of her gavel, everyone in the courtroom rose and began to file out. 

———————————————————————

“You were wonderful.” Victor sighed when he met Yuuri outside his car, leaning against the bonnet, waiting for Victor. 

“It’s because you were there.” Cooed Yuuri as Victor’s arms curled around his waist, pulling him closer for a sweet kiss. “Thank you.” He sighed against Victor’s lips, foreheads bumped together as their hands linked together. “I umm… I really needed you… last night. And today. So… I really appreciate you being there for me.” Victor sweetly smiled. 

“I’ll always be here for you.” He promised. “And… if you ever want to talk more about  _ it,  _ I’m more than willing to listen.” Yuuri smiled gratefully. “But for now, let’s get you home, okay? You look like you could do with a cuddle.” Yuuri huffed, nodding softly. 

“I’m really tired.” Sighed Yuuri. 

“Let’s get back, let me take care of you, okay?” With a fatigued breath, Yuuri nodded and pulled away to get into the car. 

As soon as they got back, Yuuri curled up on the sofa, a blanket thrown over his shoulders as Victor phoned for takeout. 

“Alright, forty five minutes, thank you.” Victor cut the call and sat back down, pulling Yuuri into his arms. “You okay?” Stiffly, Yuuri nodded. 

“Drained.” He murmured. “I almost wanted to cry when I was up there. I-it was so hard to talk about and I just—“ A shaky sigh fell from Yuuri’s lips. “I can’t stop thinking about the person who was relying on me to stop his artery from collapsing. Who was relying on me to get him out of that surgery  _ alive.”  _ Victor pulled Yuuri into his lap, the omega curling up beside him. 

“Hey,” Victor grasped Yuuri’s hands, feeling them twitch ever so slightly in his grasp. “It’s okay. You don’t always get it right.” 

“Yes, but you should never get it as drastically wrong as I did.” Yuuri pulled his bottom lip between his teeth, sniffling as Victor’s thumbs massaged softly over the tops of his hands. 

“Yuuri. It was an  _ accident.  _ You didn’t know what was going to happen.” Victor comforted as Yuuri let out a quivering breath. “Do you want to tell me? How your hands got like that.” Yuuri stiffly shook his head. 

“Maybe another day. I’m too tired to be thinking about it.” Victor smiled and nodded, bringing Yuuri’s hands to his lips to kiss his knuckles.

“Take a nap. I’ll wake you up when food gets here, okay?” Yuuri relented with a small nod, eyes fluttering shut. Victor sighed pitifully as he ran a hand through Yuuri’s hair, kissing his forehead. Yuuri had poured his heart out more in the last two days than he had in the last seven months. Victor wondered how much more Yuuri would be willing to open up about. 

———————————————————————

The trial went on for two more days and it took the jury another day to deliberate. Yuuri hadn’t expected that he’d be turning up to the courthouse again, but here he was, sat in the public gallery next to Victor, waiting to hear the verdict. 

“What do you think it’ll be?” Asked Victor, to which Yuuri gave a soft shrug, squeezing Victor’s hand. 

“Honestly, I don’t know. Even after looking over the body so many times, I couldn’t tell you what I thought.” Yuuri sighed. “I've gone over and over the body so many times over the last few days trying to find something I’ve missed that might tell us more, but it’s still inconclusive. It just depends how the jury decided to interpret it.” Victor could feel the frustration that radiated off Yuuri, and he could see it, if the crease between his brows and the little dimple above the arch of his brow were any indication. 

Victor’s thumb reached out to smooth the crease between Yuuri’s brows, kissing his temple. 

“Do you think I missed something? Is there something I didn’t see?” Asked Yuuri. 

“It’s possible.” Victor answered truthfully. “But it happens. Like I said the other day, you don’t always get it right.” Victor said. 

“I just hate not knowing if she was pushed or not. It leaves me unsettled.” Yuuri murmured as Victor’s thumb ran comfortingly over his hand. 

“Jurors… have you reached a verdict?” Yuuri looked up to see one of the jurors stand, a piece of paper in her hands. 

“We have, Your Honour.” Victor swallowed a lump in his throat, dry with anticipation as they waited with bated breath. “We, the jury find the defendant not guilty on the grounds of voluntary manslaughter.” Victor’s breath caught in his throat. Yuuri glanced over at him, brow knitted in frustration as his jaw clenched, hand gripping tightly onto Yuuri’s. 

“I know it’s not the answer you hoped for.” Yuuri said when they left the courthouse, walking down the steps, heels clicking on the concrete as Victor’s hand tangled with Yuuri’s. 

“No— it’s… I’m just… not sure what to make of it.” Victor sighed as they climbed into the car. “At first I was so sure he pushed her but after you— after listening to you and watching how you work I’m not so sure.” 

“Have I taught you to look at things more objectively?” Chuckled Yuuri as he buckled in. 

“Something like that.” Victor huffed in amusement. 

“Good. At least I’ve taught you something since we’ve been together.” Teased Yuuri with a cocked brow and a coquettish smile. Victor, at that moment, knew that the  _ Medical Examiner  _ within Yuuri had returned. 

“Cheeky.” Grinned Victor. “I’ll have you know, you taught me more than just to be more objective.” Victor crooned as the car started. 

“Oh? That’s reassuring. Like what?” Yuuri’s hand reaches for Victor’s thigh, splaying on top of the firm muscle as he squeezed softly. 

“Well… you taught me to be brave… you taught me that even the strongest people crack—“ 

“You think I’m strong?” Yuuri blinked, eyes pleading like a puppy, much to Victor’s amusement. 

“Oh baby, you’re the strongest man I’ve ever known.” Yuuri glowed at Victor’s praise, a giddy smile on his face. 

“Even though I cried my eyes out on your lap last week?” Yuuri mused with a nervous smile. 

“If anything, that makes me believe you’re even stronger than I first thought.” Victor said fondly. 

“I hate crying.” Yuuri pouted as his hand ran up and down Victor’s thigh. 

“Well, I like having you curled up in my lap like that.” Victor reassured as they pulled up to Yuuri’s home. “It makes me happy when I have you cuddled up to me.” 

“All you have to do is ask, you know.” Yuuri scoffed with a flirty smile. “You know I’ll climb into your lap anytime you want.” Victor cocked a brow, the corner of his lip turned up into a half smile. 

“Oh? You would?” Chided Victor as Yuuri opened the door to let them in. “Then… how does right now sound?” Within the flash of a second, Victor had his arms curled around Yuuri’s waist, hands cupping the cheeks of Yuuri’s ass. 

“Perfect.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! If you enjoyed this part please leave me a comment, it would mean the world to me 😩💖 AND! If you have anymore suggestions, do let me know in the comments! 
> 
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